Artist Danae Stratou, the wife of flamboyant Greek FinMin Yanis Varoufakis pleads ignorance to the fact that a special Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) sticker — the product of an inspection — is necessary when leasing out property to vacationers.

She claims she was unaware of the relevant procedure  due to the fact that she lived abroad for the last two years in the great state of Texas, however, she is willing to correct her mistake and pay any fines that she may have incurred. Texas, by the way, is a “hotbed” for entrepreneurship, with no state income taxes, very little “red tape” and lots of economic opportunities. It remains to be seen if this model will be proposed by Yanis for debt-laden and recession-plagued Greece.

The living room of the Makrygianni Street home, housed in a neoclassical building, that is up for rent.

The Varoufakis couple rented out their houses to tourists after they appeared on the Airbnb site without having the special GNTO  seal that authorized them to do so. Not having a sticker could result in a 50,000-euro fine. Stratou wrote to Proto Thema, admitting her omission and saying that she is willing to pay “a” fine.

“I remind you that, until recently, we were two Greeks that lived and worked abroad and I think that you should assess the situation accordingly,” she says, explaining that the mistake was due to not being aware of the relevant legislation.

The pool from the property on the isle of Aegina

Stratou said the money that had been raised from the rent had been included in the couple’s 2014 tax statement. According to Stratou, the rent accrued was low.

Stratou said the villa on the isle of Aegina is co-owned by her ex-husband Georgios Momferatos. Nonetheless, circles close to the Momferatos’ family deny  any ownership rights whatsoever to the home on the isle.

Stratou says the Aegina home was rented out just once after an ad on a site abroad. She says that the rent money would be included on her tax statement.

Danae Stratou said she rented out her home in Aegina just once for 10 days in 2014.

Stratou’s email to Proto Thema: